The Fireman and The Librarian Ch. 02

"I can't do that, yet. I don't think Bill is ready for me to start bringing home a date."

"Jasper, he loves you. He will do anything for you. He was so happy after he saw the two of you exchanging numbers last Saturday." Mary was beaming. "Jasper, you know Bill always knew there was something different about you. Remember that when you came out to your parents and your other siblings, he stood by you when no one else did."

Jasper looked like he was going to shed a tear. "I know. Bill lost a lot standing by me, and I love him so much for that."

"And he doesn't care. He always said he would defend you and disown the family again if he had to. He knew you were miserable dating women. He knew you only did it to pacify your mother and father."

"Yeah, Bill always did know more than I thought he ever did about my life."

"So are you going to bring Chris with you?"

"I will ask him, but he might already have plans."

"Just ask him Jasper. What do you have to lose? Either he will be free that night or he won't."

Mary and he talked for a bit longer and then Jasper got ready to leave, but before he left Mary handed him another batch of cookies. He laughed at her, telling her that she was trying to make him fat. She just said she needs the practice of making cookies is all. Jasper thought about what she said on the walk back to the subway line.

Once he was home, he got himself prepared for work for the week. He knew it was a day early, but he wanted to go back down to the Station on Sunday, so he made his lunches for a few days. At least he didn't have to bother about dinner for Monday or Tuesday, and he knew Mary would pack him leftovers for Wednesday and possibly Thursday.

He was counting the days. Chris went to work on Thursday, working four days then getting done on Monday morning. He would then be off for four days, going back to work on Friday morning. Jasper was thinking maybe one of these weeks they could actually have a real Friday or Saturday night date, where he couldn't fuck it up by working late.

Jasper got everything ready for the week, and when he got ready for bed, he was hoping that Chris would call him before he fell asleep, but he didn't know if they were still out on the run or another call. He really wanted to talk to him. He picked up his phone several times to call Chris, but kept setting it down. He finally got the nerve to text him, thinking if he is out on a run, he will get it later, but if he was just sitting around the station then maybe he would call him.

'Hoping everything went alright today. How are you?' Jasper typed. He debated hitting send and finally did.

Chris was lying on his bunk, reading with a book light. Not everyone was in the bunk house but some were there sleeping. Bill was on his bunk just staring at the ceiling. Chris' phone was on silent. He didn't like it on vibrate when he worked because it would still be annoying to hear when others are trying to sleep, but when the flash of light caught his eye he turned the screen on and saw the message from Jasper and smiled.

'Everything was fine. It was just a small fire. I'm good, just reading while others are sleeping.' He smiled as he was typing it. Bill had looked over to see what he was doing because he saw movement other than Chris reading a book; he was hoping that he was texting Jasper. 'Do you want me to call you or is it too late?'

'You can call if you want, or we can text, but I wouldn't mind hearing your voice.'

'So you want me to call. Hold on, going to get dressed and I will go somewhere private.' Chris stuck the note that Jasper gave him the other day back in the book to mark his page. He still smiled at the note said that read, "Chris treat the book with care, so I know how you would treat me." Then he had written to call him. Chris got up; put on his uniform pants and shirt, but left that unbuttoned. Bill watched him as he picked up his phone and left the bunk room.

He went down and found the kitchen empty so he sat down at one of the tables and dialed Jasper.

"Hi, did you find a private place to talk?"

"Semi private, no one is here right now. What are you doing?"

"Just lying in bed, thinking about you. Can't wait until Monday. What would you like to do?"

"It is up to you. We can either meet somewhere or order in." Chris really wished Jasper would say his apartment would be okay.

"Okay, we can order in then. I think that would be nicer, then we can talk and be ourselves."

Chris smiled. "Cool that will be good."

They talked way past two in the morning. When Chris closed his phone and looked up at the kitchen clock, he was shocked to see how late it was. When he walked into the bunk house he had to be as quiet as possible so he didn't wake anyone. When he settled on his bed, he smiled because he really liked Jasper and he couldn't wait to see him on Monday.

They were called out on run after run on Sunday. When Jasper stopped by, they were out on another run, but the Chief's wife Linda recruited him to help make some dinner for the guys. She told him that they have had a busy day being called out within an hour of returning since three that morning. When Jasper heard that they have been non-stop busy since three he felt bad for keeping Chris up until after two. Linda said they were going to be on their way back shortly and that the crew was just clearing the scene when Jasper showed up.

He heard the trucks pulling back in and the crew coming through the station. Jasper was still making the sandwiches and Linda was setting out potato salad and chips for the guys just to grab and eat. He heard the Chief tell everyone to eat first just in case they were called back out. So they were walking in one by one into the kitchen and grabbing some food and sitting down. Jasper saw Chris, but Chris didn't even look up to see who was in the kitchen. He just grabbed a plate some chips and a sandwich and sat down with everyone else. They were all tired and some weren't even eating, just closing their eyes. Jasper could have sworn they were asleep.

When Jasper finished making the sandwiches he helped Linda pass out waters to everyone. He gave Chris one and Chris finally looked up at him and gave a very tired smile. Bill realized when he saw Chris cheer up a bit that it was Jasper, and smiled to himself. Bill could see that they really liked one another. Chris hadn't slept in over twenty-four hours, but Jasper's presence alone made him smile. He really hoped that they would start dating.

Jasper squeezed Chris' shoulder as he walked behind him to give the next person some water. Guys were filing out of the kitchen as they got full and headed to the showers. Everyone was exhausted so they were dropping onto their bunks as they came from the showers, some not even getting clothes on to sleep.

Chris stayed in the kitchen for a while to talk to Jasper. Jasper told him to go and take a shower, and if he makes it back out from the bunk room that was okay, but if he needed to crash it was more than fine. Chris pecked him on the cheek and went to take a shower. He stopped long enough at his bunk to get on clean boxers, t-shirt and uniform pants, not even bothering with a shirt.

When he came back out to the kitchen, Jasper and Linda had everything cleaned up and she smiled at Chris as she left the kitchen, leaving the two of them alone. "Chris let's go into the TV lounge, then you can relax better. You know I won't mind if you want to sleep."

"I know. I can stay up with you for a bit." They walked into the lounge and Chris took a seat on one of the couches. Jasper decided to stand behind him and massage his shoulders. "Oh god, Jasper that feels great." He didn't say anything for a bit and kept rubbing his shoulders. After a while Chris grabbed his hand and pulled him around the couch to sit down. "Did you have a quiet day today?"

"Yeah, it was pretty quiet. I got all my things prepared for the week and my place semi-cleaned."

"Mmmm that is nice." Jasper looked at his watch. It was only six in the evening, but he could tell that Chris was tired.

"Let me go home, so you can sleep."

"No, don't leave yet, please." Chris said with a huge yawn.

"Only if you lie down. Let me move down and you put your head in my lap." Chris didn't argue. Jasper moved down to the other end of the couch and Chris proceeded to lie down and put his head in Jasper's lap. He didn't face him so people wouldn't feel awkward if they walked in. Jasper started massaging Chris scalp.

"If you keep that up, I'm going to be asleep on you." Jasper just continued, he knew Chris would be asleep shortly, it didn't even take two minutes and Jasper could hear Chris' even breathing. Jasper smiled. He was content just holding Chris. He figured they had lots of time to get to know one another.

Linda walked into the lounge to turn the lights off and saw Jasper sitting there. She was about to talk, but saw that Chris was sleeping, so she whispered instead. "Do you need anything, Jasper?"

"No, thank you, Linda," Jasper whispered back. Linda left for a minute then walked back in with a blanket and lightly laid it over Chris. "Thank you." She nodded and left.

Jasper didn't realize he fell asleep while holding Chris, but when Bill tapped him on the shoulder, he looked at the clock and it was after midnight. "Hey Jas, what are you still doing here. Other than falling asleep holding your boy toy." Bill smiled at him.

"I didn't realize I fell asleep. The last time I remember was sevenish. Did you get some sleep?"

"Yeah, I woke up thirsty and was heading for the kitchen when I saw you sitting here. When you get ready, I'm paying for your taxi home."

"I can afford my own taxi, Bill."

"I know you can, but I know you too well. You will just walk to the subway or take the taxi to the subway because you don't want me knowing you didn't take it home."

Jasper chuckled lightly. "You know me too well."

"Do you work in the morning?"

"Yeah, I'm supposed to be there at eight-thirty. You know we open at nine."

"Why don't you call in sick tomorrow and stay here tonight?"

"What if you guys get a call? I would feel weird being here all by myself."

"You can go and sleep at my place if you want," Chris said when he woke up to them talking. "Then when I get off in the morning, I will join you and sleep until you wanted to have dinner." He smiled he knew he could sleep until Wednesday at this point, but he wouldn't mind being curled up next to Jasper for the entire day.

"I will go home. I have gone to work on less sleep before."

"Bill, we could just both lay on top of him, then he will not be able to go." Chris laugh along with Bill. "Or I'm sure one of us knows how to tie a good knot."

"If you two are going to talk like that, then I'm going to leave." Jasper laughed at them.

"Stay, Jasper. Why don't you get comfortable and I will stay here with you?" Chris suggested as he was about to sit up, but Jasper put pressure on his head to keep him in his lap.

"Why don't you two get on that couch over there? It is deeper so you two can really cuddle." Jasper started to object, but Bill continued. "You have Chris' head in your lap. You are going to hurt you neck if you stay sitting up. You know you would like to lay down with him, so just go over to that couch and sleep."

"What if some of the other guys come in? I don't want them to feel uncomfortable," Jasper responded.

"Then I will stay here too, if you want. We will have a Jasper sandwich." They all laughed.

"No, I like you Bill, but I prefer your brother," Chris chuckled.

Bill pulled Chris up off the couch and pushed him over to a couch that was comfortable and deep and then pulled and pushed Jasper over there too. Chris didn't think twice about it. He lay down because he was tired, and when Jasper lay down in front of him, he smiled and wrapped his arms around him. Bill tossed the blanket on the two of them and shut the light off as he left the room. It didn't take Chris long to fall back to sleep, but it did Jasper.

Bill woke with a kink in his neck from sleeping on a couch. After going to the kitchen and grabbing a bite to eat and water, he walked back into the lounge and lay down on one of the couches. He could see that both of them were asleep and he knew that Jasper would prefer him being in the room if one of the guys walked in later, so he grabbed a blanket off his bunk and slept there for the rest of the night.

The guys for the next shift were coming in and that is what had woken Bill. He could see Jasper starting to stir from the noise. A few of the guys came into the lounge and when they saw Chris and Jasper, Bill heard one of them say 'What the fuck.' Bill jumped up and they shut up immediately. But it woke Jasper and he sat up quickly, and the abrupt movement woke Chris.

Chris looked at the other guys and then at Bill, he could see that Bill was upset. "What time is it?" Chris asked. He couldn't focus on the clock on the wall yet.

"Seven-thirty," One of the guys from the new shift said. "You the new guy?"

"Yeah, Chris."

"Alex. This is Tom and Mike. You're gay?"

"Alex, could you be a little less subtle about it?" Bill responded.

"Bill, they are spooning on the couch. That isn't quite subtle, is it? I'm just asking a direct question."

"Yeah, I'm gay, Alex," Chris responded.

"Well, why is your boyfriend even here? It isn't like we have our girlfriends stay the night," Mike replied.

"For your information, Mike, Jasper came and helped Linda. She made the squad food because we were out pretty much all night and day on runs. He fell asleep and I told him to stay, but if you have a problem with it, go talk to the Chief. Do you have a problem?"

"No, Bill, we do not." Alex responded for the three of them and pushed them all towards the door.

"Chris go strip your bunk, I will stay here with Jas." Chris got up, stretched and left the room. "You okay?"

"I wish you wouldn't have to defend me all the time."

"Jas, I love you and, as the oldest, it is my job to defend you." Bill laughed.

"Yeah, by a whopping three minutes." Jasper smiled.

"Are you going to call off this morning?"

"I don't think I have any other choice. I don't have a change of clothing and to get to my place and back will take over two hours."

After grabbing out a clean shirt, Chris packed his dirties and his bedding in his duffle and was about to walk out of the bunk area. "Bill won't always be around to defend you," Mike stated.

"Never said I needed Bill to defend me," Chris stopped and turned around to face Mike, Alex and Tom. "If you got a problem with me being gay, it is your problem, not mine. Just choose when you shower if you happen to be on my shift." With that Chris walked out of the room. He knows he shouldn't provoke them, so he decided it was best that he left before he said something that would really get them riled up.

Chris dropped his duffle in the lounge, and then went to get his gear. When he came back he sat down with Jasper, then Bill went and packed up.

"Chris, how tired are you?" Jasper asked.

"Depends on what you want to do?" Chris smiled.